Within 48 hours of totally freaking out, I called him to say, “Sorry, honey! You know your wife goes crazy sometimes. Forgive me.” It took a conversation with someone where I told them how I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night to look for inventory for our business, and I realized that this is what my husband has been doing for years. I said to myself, ‘Wow, Nik, you have a great husband who works extremely hard to take excellent care of you and our kids. What do you have to complain about?’ I called him crying, and he responded something like, “We just have to keep forgiving each other. None of us are perfect.” And that’s the message for today, I believe from God that we must keep forgiving and loving each other.
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath for us. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16
“You are a loving person,” a friend said to me the other day. Not on the level God wants us. Human love is entirely different from God’s kind of love, and He has been teaching me these painful love lessons. Like to not focus on the imperfections of others or ourselves. To instead see the good in them and what we’re capable of becoming, not past sins and mistakes. To continuously wipe the slates clean, giving mercy and grace and going the extra mile in love and kindness. Doing it all for the glory of God.
Honestly, sometimes though, that God kind of love gets pretty messy and dirty. And guess what God challenges us to do – jump in the dirt with it like a pig in mud, baby. We don’t throw it out because of its imperfections. We keep working on it, developing it, cleaning up the messes when necessary, and striving to be the faithful and loyal people God asks us to be.
Super tough? Hell, YES! But God will be our strength as we tackle these difficult love lessons in all our significant relationships. I tell my daughters that I’m their ride or die mama. Whatever we have to go through, I want them to know that they have a mom who will stand with them through thick and thin. So, even when we have our fights, they know it’s from a mom who loves and thinks the world of them.
That’s the message I’m stealing from my daughter’s mug! We can stress and worry about many things in this life, but the wiser Nikki is learning to keep her focus on God, looking to Him for constant guidance and direction on a moment by moment basis. I do the easy parts of what He asks me to do, and then I turn over the more difficult and harder parts over to Him. God, here, this is for you to handle!!!
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33
Whenever I read the “I have overcome the world” part, I take it as a wink from God saying, ‘Nik, RELAX, I can tweak (control) situations on your behalf. And let me tell ya, God is a master at that! I see some things happen that I KNOW it’s only God working on my behalf in the spiritual realm as if asking, ‘Who is messing with my Nik?’
These past experiences are what have built my FAITH in Him. I know I’m not going through life alone. I know God is directing my steps. Like He had me to walk DIRECTLY into my sister-in-law, Aima, at the grocery store one day. Another time, I went for my daily run with God pretty late, and again she drove DIRECTLY into me. She told me that I was looking sad, and honestly, she and my daughter, Julie, have both inspired me to GET MY HAPPY BACK and to come out of this negative fog I’ve been in lately.
In this life, WE WILL HAVE TROUBLE! But know we also have God. See the love He has for me by taking me to see my sister-in-law. Like He was saying, ‘Nik, I want you happy again.’ She ended up having a beautiful little get together for my birthday at her house and a photoshoot I planned with the girls and my nephew there just reminded me what an extraordinary life I have and that I have nothing to be sad about. I’m Nikki So Blessed, baby!
They motivated me to start my 50 days of discipline, where I strive to BE JOYFUL. When the negative thoughts come, I’m back to hitting my head, and then I REFOCUS my thoughts:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8
ARE YOU GETTING TO KNOW GOD BETTER? Say, ‘God, I want in on this sweet life with You!’
“BUT THE PEOPLE WHO TRUST THE LORD WILL BECOME STRONG AGAIN…”
They will rise up as an eagle in the sky; they will run and not need rest; they will walk and not become tired. – Isaiah 40:31
This is the verse I read in my appointment with God as I woke up, and it gave me such encouragement. I feel myself getting stronger again! Yay! Life can get stressful sometimes, and we may fall a million times, but I’m here to tell you that we can rise back up a million and one. Not only rise up, but BOUNCE BACK wiser, stronger, tougher, better, and most importantly, CLOSER TO GOD, baby! Like an eagle for sure!!! Heehaw!!!
After my daughter, Ember, “Mom, this is your worst year ever,” I’m determined to show her and my other daughter, Julie, that even during my worst year, I’m gonna be killin’ it! Doing my thing to the best of my ability and SHINING BRIGHT, all for God’s glory! What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger! NEVER LET A GOOD TRAGEDY GO TO WASTE, PEOPLE. Don’t become bitter; become BETTER.
To be very honest with you guys, I’m EXTREMELY HAPPY for ALL those falls. Every single time I went RUNNING to God in my distress, He showed up. He would figure out some way to let me know His invisible Presence was with me. I’m talking such TENDER LOVE I receive from Him.
Like yesterday, my daughters and I were in our bathroom joking around with each other before their first day of school. I brought up to Julie that she would be able to see her friend, “ZION.” She hates when I mention him because he teases her a lot with these funny remarks that if I mention to you guys, she would kill me. So fast forward a couple of hours later, I’m at my computer waiting for the number 132 to come up somewhere, so I called my sons in Nigeria for an appointment with God, and said we should read day number 132 from The Purpose Driven Life Devotional for kids and look what showed up:
“Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount ZION (Wink! Wink!), which cannot be shaken but endures forever.” – Psalm 125:1
That “ZION” showing up was no coincidence, but God AGAIN revealing His invisible Presence letting me know He is not only with the girls here (even in our bathroom) and me, He is also with my sons and hubby in Nigeria. I’m talking the most tender love He gives. His love strengthens me, gives me peace, and hope for even a happier and better future and the motivation to keep giving my best and leaving the rest with Him.
He keeps reminding me that He is doing a new thing and I can forget the former things! I’m learning to relax, take life lightheartedly (not stressing!) and I’m enjoying God’s company. Let’s recommit our entire lives over to pleasing and honoring Him in every moment. I promise you, this is the best life close to God.
I just said to my fierce daughters as they’re about to start their school year virtually in front of their computers. Like President Trump loves to say, “It is what it is!” We have to roll with whatever life throws our way. But, most importantly, KNOWING who is rolling with us: GOD!!! Our hope is in HIM, baby!!! Let me tell ya, He makes me feel so loved and that His Presence is always with me. The other day, this song played on the radio, and I knew it was a message from Him to me:
“When the visions around you
Bring tears to your eyes
And all that surrounds you
Are secrets and lies
I’ll be your strength
I’ll give you hope
Keeping your faith when it’s gone
The one you should call
Was standing there all along
And I will take you in my arms
And hold you right where you belong
Til’ the day my life is through
This I promise you
This I promise you” – This I Promise You, NSYNC
This is after I’ve written a couple of times how I’m thanking my hubby for NOT answering my calls when I was feeling overwhelmed and stressed about our business that I’m working to get back on track, and then I go RUNNING to God. And I felt He was saying in that song, “I’m the One you should call, Nik, I’ve been here all along for you.” And God has been showing up for me.
Like He gave me a nudge to hire someone back again. Hubby didn’t agree, but I went out on a limb feeling STRONGLY that God wanted me to leave the past in the past, forgive, and give him another chance. But here is how God thinks so much of all of us. He confirmed to me that He wanted me to rehire this person when I held our house key in my hand as I was about to go out on my morning run.
My daughter had copied this key for herself the day she got her drivers’ license, and she had them to print on it, “GOOD VIBES.” This was the day after I had met this person for the first time, and I kept saying that I got “GOOD VIBES” from him. I took the key as a God wink saying I should hire him, and I did. So, when I wanted to rehire hire him, without hubby’s blessings (I made an executive decision that hubby has given me the leeway to do at times), God drew my attention to this very key that I held in my hand and spoke to me through my spirit, ‘Nik, give him another chance.’ I said, ‘Ok, Boss!’ Who am I to argue with God!
Fast forward to yesterday and telling him about the key story and why I decided to give him another try, we both got goosebumps. He was thrilled that God was thinking and cares about him. An hour or two later, I’m driving home, and there is a food truck on a corner down from our shop, incredibly saying, “GOOD VIBES.” Wink! Wink! Another confirmation from God that He is with us!!!! How sweet is that! Don’t miss out on the best life with God!!!
FORGET THE FORMER THINGS; GOD IS DOING A NEW THING, BABY!!!
I love, love, love my life with God! He is always doing something new with our lives. And He uses EVERYTHING – the good, bad, and ugly, to help us become ALL He would have us to be and more importantly, CLOSER TO HIM!!!
I just sent this pic to my sister asking if she liked it and she responded, “I love all the people…don’t like the green shirts though.” LOL! I explained that green signifies growth and new beginnings. We can forget the former things and expect even a BETTER future with God leading the way to the best path.
I’m not settling for less than His best!!! Your girl here is in fighters’ stance mode because there are sometimes when God says stand down and there are times He says, “It’s time to fight.” In life, I feel its important to have boundaries – I will take this, but I will not take this. All based on constant conversations with God as to what He would have us to do. Sometimes He tells me to be silent and sometimes He tells me to speak, but in a way that’s kind and not humiliating. I don’t get it right all the time, but I feel Him correcting me to just do better next time.
Not every battle is for us to fight! Some you must leave with God. Wisdom is knowing which ones to take on and which ones to leave with Him. Our time and energy are limited, so we have to be careful with what we take on because we could end up wasting them on useless battles. But the ones you deem are important, you go all out, doing your best and leaving the rest with God.
For me, that’s my family. I’m so proud of where God has brought us, not that we’re perfect, but we’re perfect in reflecting that you don’t have to be perfect to roll with God. We mess up every day, but we feel His love and guidance continually with us. Like this business that I’m trying to get back on track, I was there yesterday, and it has a whole new vibe. A new beginning! God has been telling me through my spirit what it is He suggests for me to do, and I’ve been following His lead and it’s paying off.
Are you getting close to God to hear what He wants to whisper to you? I promise you, as you take one step closer to Him, He takes 100 closer to you. Just say, “God, I want to roll with You.” Then start seeking Him in all the decisions you make, “God, what would You have me to do here?” The more you listen and follow Him, the better you will get at it!
